Victory never felt so bad.

Victory never felt so bad.

ByShawn SarisDec. 5, 2017, 12:32 p.m.

Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the episode.

Tensions were high as Universe 2 and 6 struggled and failed to prevent their annihilation in a tense, action-packed episode. Unfortunately, Episode 118’s split focus between two stories wasn’t balanced well, causing Universe 2’s erasure to feel considerably less important. Even still, great callbacks to scenes earlier in the franchise worked very well during the Universe 6 battle, and several touching moments helped give Universe 2 a touching but somber farewell.

The Namekian battle between Universe 6 and 7 was a great homage to past Dragon Ball events. The callback to Namekian fusion was particularly impactful with the implications it had for Planet Namek in Universe 6, but also what it meant for Piccolo and the few times he’s performed this forbidden technique. Super also handled Gohan well, pushing him into the mentor role for just a short time and using that to mirror scenes from as far back as the Saiyan Saga of Dragon Ball Z. Beyond fighting, the erasure of Universe 6 allowed for some good somber scenes, like seeing Beerus stoically watch his counterpart be erased. Universe 6 has been built up as the fun rival to Universe 7 for a long time, and their complete obliteration made for a truly sad moment in Super history.

The Universe 2 storyline had its fair share of impactful moments, but having it compete with Universe 6’s story in the same episode wasn’t an especially good move. The maidens of love and their universe simply haven’t had the same care put into developing them, making Universe 2’s plight feel less important, which is a shame. Universe 2 has often felt the most out of place as well, thanks to its unique theme of love and beauty. The Universe 2 team still made for some funny and touching moments, though, like their heartfelt farewell before being erased.

I was also impressed by how Universe 2’s warriors transformed and used the power of the people they were protecting. Goku has summoned the power of others countless times in the past, particularly when channeling the Spirit Bomb, so it made for a nice touch to see another universe using a similar but altered technique. Their Black Hole attack was also visually striking, which is something that Super has been nailing recently with its many new and flashy techniques.

Goku’s ability to recover from Ultra Instinct seems to be rapidly increasing, as indicated by his use of Super Saiyan Blue during this episode. I’m quite excited for the future of Ultra Instinct, but displays like this do raise concerns as it seems like Goku is rapidly approaching a level of strength that will be hard to compete with. There’s always a stronger enemy out there, but I wonder how Super will make it logical given the grandiose amount of power that we’re reaching.

The Verdict

Two universes were erased in Episode 118, and Super handled their demise well but not without fault. Although Universe 2’s erasure was sad, it simply couldn’t compete with Universe 6 in terms of impact. With that said, there were several good moments for both groups throughout the episode with flashy new attacks and great callbacks to older Dragon Ball events.

7.9

Good

Episode 118 is a great attempt to showcase an intense but somber battle for survival.